


Rise Up

by AXEe



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, General Danvers Monthly Third Edition, The Return of Astra prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 11:44:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12840456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Hello! My submission for GD Monthly Three, yes I know November's almost over, but I couldn't think of a good idea.   This one is actually one my early Supergirl fic attempts, elements of it eventually wound up in What we are, so I resurrected it from the depths of my hard drive and am posting it here.  Enjoy! :=)





	Rise Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! My submission for GD Monthly Three, yes I know November's almost over, but I couldn't think of a good idea. This one is actually one my early Supergirl fic attempts, elements of it eventually wound up in What we are, so I resurrected it from the depths of my hard drive and am posting it here. Enjoy! :=)

******

Alex grunted as she wriggled on the wet pavement, she was pretty sure her arm was broken, if the pain radiating up and down her right side was any indication, she could see Hank lying across the street, behind Kara, Kara who now stood over her in all black, her eyes glowing white from heat vision. Alex shifted, putting out her good hand in a placating gesture

“Kara, please…don’t do this” she heard herself say, Kara simply sneered down at her “please,” Alex whispered, she hated how pathetic that sounded, but this was her sister, she couldn’t lose Kara, not after everything they’d been through, if she could just reach the gun, reach Lord’s little anti-red kryptonite gun…

Suddenly a large black blur slammed into Kara from behind like a linebacker, throwing her against the SUV that Alex had just climbed out of moments earlier. Alex flinched at the impact and watched as the black blur pulled Kara around before solidifying into someone Alex was sure she would never see ever again, she could see the shock mirrored on Kara’s face as she herself stared at her attacker

“Aunt Astra…?” Kara whispered. The general stood there, tall and solid like a statue as always as she held Kara by the shoulders, pinning her against the car, Kara turned to Alex, the rage and anger quickly replacing her shock, Alex could practically hear Kara’s thoughts, which no doubt mirrored her own, was this a clone of Astra? Like Bizzaro, something that Maxwell Lord or someone like him had cooked up in a lab? Or could Astra actually still be alive, and did Alex know? Had she known all along?

A look of fury suddenly crossed Kara’s face and she suddenly swung back her leg and delivered a swift and hard kick to Astra’s midsection, Astra stumbled back, still keeping one hand on Kara’s bicep, which she used to haul Kara up off the ground and then hurl her down the street, causing Kara to violently tumble down the pavement before colliding with several parked cars, sending up a fireball and pieces of burning debris.

Astra suddenly turned to Alex and held out a hand

“Are you all right?” she asked quietly, Alex dimly nodded as she took the offered hand and pulled herself up, she was vaguely aware of the fact that her mouth was hanging open, but wasn’t sure if that really mattered right now because Astra was alive. Suddenly feelings she thought she’d buried deep down came bubbling to the surface, she remembered fevered dreams of Astra, of forbidden thoughts of Astra’s hands upon her skin, of wanting to curl her fingers through that thick curly hair, paying special attention to that streak of white, of learning what Astra thought, what she felt, of learning every wonderful secret of the General’s mind. She was still holding Astra’s hand she realized suddenly, in fact Astra’s thumb was gently stroking the back of her hand

“Astra…how…?” she finally managed, Astra smirked and looked like she was about to answer when she suddenly gasped

“ _ **Get down!**_ ” she ordered, throwing herself over Alex and pushing her down as Kara suddenly shot down the length of the street, barreling straight for Astra, Astra twisted around, keeping herself between Alex and Kara, and smashed her fist down on the black blur that was Kara. Alex cringed and tucked herself into a tight ball against Astra’s form, clutching Lord’s weapon tightly to her chest, as Kara was suddenly smashed straight down into the pavement, creating a massive crater in the asphalt and sending up a cloud of dust, Alex could feel the shockwave vibrate through her body as it literally rippled down the street, cracking the asphalt and tossing parked cars like toys

For a long moment everything was blissfully quiet except for the ringing in her ears and in that moment Alex relished in the fact that she was pressed tightly against Astra, her ear pressed against her chest, Astra’s heartbeat firmly thumping away

 _‘She’s alive,’_ Alex told herself, repeating it in her head like a mantra _‘she’s alive she’s alive she’s alive’_ and that thought filled her before an almost-giddy sense of relief and a spine-chilling sense of fear, fear of what this meant, of what came next. Suddenly sound returned with a vengeance, the shouts and screams as people panicked, and distantly, amidst the chaos, Alex registered a hand on her face, fingers stroking her cheek, and a voice calling out to her

“Alexandra!” wincing Alex managed to get her damn eyes working and focused on a still-somewhat blurry Astra “…all right?” the other woman asked, still wincing Alex managed to nod, the other woman looked concerned, downright terrified at the prospect that Alex might be hurt

“Alex!” Alex turned to see Hank rushing to them, weapon drawn and aimed at Astra, a spike of fear shot through her as she though of Astra dying in her arms again

“Hank! Wait!” she yelled, throwing a hand out, Hank stopped, still keeping his gun on Astra “wait!” Alex repeated “just wait,” she managed to sit upright “she just saved my life, Hank, please,” she pleaded “if she wanted to kill me she could’ve just let Kara do that” with a slight hiss of pain, Astra straighten up on one knee, she nodded at Hank

“I have no intention of harming her, Martian,” she said “of harming either of them,” she added “my only desire is stop this madness” she nodded to the veritable warzone that CatCo Plaza had become

“Hank, please,” Alex repeated “just let her try” she begged, Hank lowered his gun slightly

“How do I know we can trust you?” he asked, Astra smirked

“You don’t,” she all but purred “but you no choice, the only other alternative would be to expose yourself as the last Green Martian” she pointed out, with a scowl Hank slowly holstered his gun

“Can you contain her?” he asked, Astra nodded grimly

“I will try” she stated as she slowly got to her feet, Alex grabbed her arm

“We have an…an antidote for lack of a better word,” she explained, hefting Lord’s toy for emphasis “all you need to do is keep her distracted long enough for--” Astra smirked again and idly brushed a lock of hair away from Alex’s face, her thumb brushing against the corner of Alex’s mouth, stopping her in midsentence

“So very brave,” she murmured “even in this,” she stepped back with a grin “don’t worry, Agent Danvers,” she chuckled “distractions are a specialty of mine” with that she floated over to the crater where a still stunned Kara lay. Dimly Alex was aware of Hank and the rest of the DEO team and the NCPD still scrambling to recover some semblance of order, but she barely noticed any of it, unable to take her eyes off the image of Astra floating there like some kind of hero of ancient myth, a dark avenging angel. A flicker of light from a broken streetlight caught the white streak in Astra’s hair, making it almost glow, while a shower of sparks from a downed power line fell at just the right angle, making it look as if Astra had wings.

It was an image that would probably earn James Olsen another Pulitzer if he managed to take it, and one that Cat Grant would probably kill to publish. All Alex could think, however, was one word

Beautiful

She found herself riveted to Astra’s image as Kara slowly staggered to her feet, an expression of murderous rage on her face **[** I’m growing tired of this! **[** Astra called out to Kara in Kryptonese as she floated over to her niece **[** you need to stop this, this isn’t you, little one **]** she continued. With a sudden, almost primal, roar, Kara charged, Astra sidestepped and blocked Kara’s blows with ease as Kara spat out insult after insult in Kryptonese at her, Astra countered with pleas for reason and calm.

Watching the two fast-moving blurs dancing a tight circle, striking blow after blow, Alex could see that Kara was at a distinct disadvantage. Her attacks were fueled by anger and rage, she hit hard and fast, effectively trying to pummel Astra into submission. Astra, by contrast, was more precise, using her super-speed to jump in front and behind of Kara, zigzagging back and forth, striking before Kara had a chance to hit, using equal amounts of speed and strength but with more focus, more precision, targeting vulnerable areas.

As she watched, Alex saw something else, Astra was doing as promised, she was keeping Kara contained, forcing her back, forcing her to fight in a small area, about six feet away from the crater, keeping Kara from hurting anyone else. Still gripping Lord’s little toy, Alex and her team moved in, as they did, Alex suddenly noticed that Astra was starting to look…weak…out of breath even, like she was running out of stamina. With a sudden blur of motion, Kara suddenly surged forward, knocking Astra’s next punch aside and gripping Astra by the throat and hauling her off her feet before throwing her back towards Alex and Hank then speeding over, gripping Astra by the throat again, and slamming her head into the pavement

“Kara…don’t do this…please” Alex begged, if she could just get a little closer, Kara glanced up at her, sneering as she tightened her grip

“You people,” she snarled out in English “always ruin my fun!” she slammed Astra’s head into the pavement again. She drew back her fist

“Do it. Kill me,” Astra suddenly gasped out, Kara froze and visibly paled at Astra’s words, as did Alex and Hank, still keeping their guns trained on Kara, Alex tried to keep her breathing even as she waited to see what Astra’s plan was, even though a part of her wanted to rush over there and pull Astra away, take her and just run far away, just the two of them “go ahead,” Astra continued “I’ve been dead once before, I don’t fear death anymore. What are you waiting for? Do it, kill me,” she almost whispered, Kara simply stood there, as still as a statue, still crouched over Astra, her hand still on Astra’s throat “go on,” she hissed “go on and…KILL ME!!” Astra suddenly roared “because if you can do that,” she added quietly “if you can take a life so callously, without remorse or regret, then you are not my niece, you are _nothing!_ ” she spat out

“You’re one to talk,” Kara suddenly hissed, tightening her grip and pushing Astra against the pavement “how many people have you killed without a second thought?” she demanded, Astra gagged and gasped for air, writhing on the ground as her body tried instinctively to throw Kara off, but she kept talking

“Do you…think that I…don’t regret my actions?” she gasped out “that I am not…tortured…by…by their cries in my…dreams?” she gripped Kara’s wrist, struggling to pull the girl off her “I am, Kara, every time I close my eyes I see them, I hear them, screaming at me,” Kara’s grip loosened slightly, allowing Astra to breath easier, Astra gasped for air, wheezing as she continued “what…of…your…your sis-sister, Kara?” Kara glanced towards Alex “look at her,” Astra continued, breathing easier “even now, despite every insult you may have thrown at her, she still wants to help you, I want to help you…don’t be like me, don’t let your rage and anger consume you, don’t let it twist you into a shadow of your former self” for a split second Kara seemed to shake off the effects of the red kryptonite, but then it was gone, replaced by the arrogance and almost-insane expression that Kara had been wearing since this whole mess started, but the Alex suddenly saw what Astra had been doing, she’d managed to work one of her legs up under Kara, and as Kara pulled her fist back again, ready to deliver the killing blow, Astra suddenly kicked her in the stomach hard.

Kara shot up and back, twisting before regaining her equilibrium, landing in a crouch with another literal earth-shattering bang. As she straightened up, Hank suddenly rushed in and grabbed Astra and pulled her out of the way, yelling all the while

“ _Agent Danvers, NOW!_ ” and Alex saw her opening, and took her shot. She cringed as Kara suddenly stiffened and jerked under the red beam of Lord’s little toy before collapsing onto the pavement unconscious, a red haze swiftly leaving her body and dissipating almost immediately after.

A sudden feeling of dread overtook her, and Alex dropped the gun rushed to Kara’s side, automatically checking for a pulse and breathing a silent sigh of relief when she found a strong and steady one. She looked up at Astra who was now already standing up, absently rubbing at her throat, as Hank and the strike team swiftly surrounded her, weapons drawn, weapons, Alex knew, that were armed with kryptonite bullets, the knot of dread in her stomach twisted ever tighter as she thought of Kara—of herself—losing Astra again.

“Go,” she pleaded “please” for a long moment Astra simply stared at her, as if trying to figure her out

“On your knees!! Hands behind your head!!” an agent bellowed, Alex glanced back at Astra

“Please,” she whispered, her lips barely moving, knowing that Astra could hear her “ _please_ , just go, she can’t lose you again” she pleaded.

Astra smirked at her, winking, before suddenly shooting up into the sky...

******

Hours later, Alex opened her apartment door to find Astra on her couch, seemingly unconscious. For a moment Alex simply stared, what was she supposed to do now? Logically she should wake Astra and arrest her, but found that she couldn't, so instead she stared at Astra. The former general was dressed in a dirty pair of blue jeans and a grey hoodie and a leather jacket, none of which were in any way clean. Astra looked as if she'd been living on the streets these past few weeks

"Astra?" Alex questioned. The woman's eyes snapped open, searching for and quickly finding the source of the sound. Rising somewhat stiffly, and yet still looking far more graceful than Alex ever could, the Kryptonian smirked as she studied Alex

"You're security measures are in need of a reassessment," she remarked "I picked that lock in under ten seconds"

"Why the fuck are you on my couch?" Alex demanded

"Its comfortable?"

Alex drew her gun

"Get out!" she ordered

"I won't harm you" Astra shook her head. She reached out, gently touching Alex's arm "sit down, please," she requested. Reluctantly, Alex lowered her gun and then herself to the couch "I came here," Astra began "because I want to understand you. Who you are, what makes you that way"

"Why?" Alex asked

Astra smirked "You know why," she chuckled "my memory of that night is hazy and fragmented, but I do remember a tearful confession of love from you"

"I..." Alex felt her face heat up

"Shh," Astra brushed her fingers under Alex's chin and titled her head to face her "no more ranks, no more weapons, no more battles. Stop trying to see me as the enemy, and see me for what I really am"

"And what is that?" Alex challenged as Astra leaned in, her lips brushing against Alex's oh so softly

" _Family..._ " Astra whispered as she pulled back

Alex found herself gripping Astra arms to keep her from pulling back, leaning in for a kiss. It wouldn't be easy, she knew that, there would be questions, accusations of loyalty, the recovery Kara alone would need after her drugged rampage would take weeks if not months. But Astra here, on their side, fighting _with_ them instead of against them...

They could deal with anything...

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
